For many of us, myself included, a fresh cup of strong coffee can do wonders to help clear the cobwebs and help us think more clearly, especially first thing in the morning. Now, however, researcher believe that a brief session of meditation might do the trick just as effectively.

Previous studies have found (with the help of neuroimaging techniques) that meditation can in fact help people focus and concentrate, but it was always believed that the condition for it to be effective was an extensive amount of training. This level of commitment and diligence, which could entail a significant portion of person’s time and expense, is often what discourages people from going down that path.

Now, however, researchers believe that the benefits of mediation may be more attainable than they previously believed. By employing a technique known as “mindfulness,” psychologists found that trained participants were able to increase their mental abilities when compared to control subjects. Amazingly enough, they were able to achieve this boost in their cognitive abilities by training for only 20 minutes each day over the course of 4 days. On a daily basis, that is probably comparable to the time it takes to prepare and drink a cup of coffee.

To arrive at their findings, published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition, researchers recruited 63 student volunteers (49 of whom completed the study) who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received meditation training while the control group simply listened to a story being read to them. Before and after each session, behavioral tests were administered that measured mood, memory, vigilance and attention processing.

At the beginning of the study, both groups performed equally well. After either the meditation or story, both groups also improved by equal measure in the area of mood. However, only the meditation group showed significant improvements in the cognitive measures, in some instances by as much as 10 times. The difference was particularly striking in instances that required sustained focus while being mindful of other information, especially time constraints.

The results are important due to the fact that meditation is believed to have numerous benefits. However, many people are discouraged from taking up the practice due to the perception that learning the skills is too difficult or rigorous. Now it appears that this might not be the case. In fact, the findings suggest that the initial benefits of meditative techniques may lie in a person’s ability to maintain focus.

The “mindfulness” techniques used in the study were based on Buddhist meditation which involves relaxation methods that center around a person’s breathing. From these fundamental basics, subjects were then taught to be physically aware and to focus while being mindful of distractions.

For more information about meditation, visit the homepage for How to Meditate.